Nebraska Football Summer Position Previews: Defensive Line

I’ll be honest – this might be the position I have the lowest level of confidence in heading into the season. That doesn’t mean it can’t be a productive unit capable of contributing big-time to a stingy defense. It does, however, have everything to do with what they lost.

• Ty Robinson, NFL draft pick
• Nash Hutmacher, NFL free agent
• Jimari Butler, LSU transfer
• James Williams, Florida State transfer
• Terrence Knighton, Florida State defensive line coach

From a pure production standpoint, it’s a lot. Amongst those four players, NU lost 29 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. The only returning D-linemen with at least half a sack as a Husker are junior Cam Lenhardt (3.5 sacks in two seasons), Riley Van Poppel (half a sack in 2023), and walk-on Mason Goldman (one sack in garbage time in 2024). That’s not much.

In addition to the players who moved on, Terrence Knighton followed former defensive coordinator Tony White out the door to Florida State. Knighton oversaw the continued growth and development of his guys on the line, perhaps the strength of the Blackshirts each of the last two seasons.

Now that job falls to Terry Bradden. His recent experience is with the Kansas City Chiefs, who have done nothing but play in conference championship games and Super Bowls in his time there. He’ll have to prove he can relate to college student-athletes  just as well as paid professionals like Chris Jones.

Where does that leave this year’s edition? The leaders appear to be three guys in their third seasons in Lincoln – senior Elijah Jeudy, junior Cam Lenhardt, and redshirt sophomore Riley Van Poppel – with more depth to be developed behind them. Questions abound.

Can Jeudy lead the young players to start realizing their potential, as well as his own? Will Lenhardt recapture the magic from early in his freshman campaign? And could we see Van Poppel get medieval in more short yardage situations?

What about the newbies? There’s 5-star transfer Williams Nwaneri, Mississippi State transfer Gabe Moore, and East Tennessee State transfer Jaylen George who enter the fray from the college level elsewhere. It’s also possible to see true freshmen Malcolm Simpson or Kade Pietrzak in 2024, too. Remember, they can play up to four regular season games while still preserving their redshirt without needing a waiver.

Finally, the outlook. I’m definitely down on this position group based on the layers upon layers of uncertainty and inexperience. However, I also find it hard to believe a Matt Rhule-coached team would not succeed on the defensive line. Rhule’s background gives me an ever-so-small glimmer of hope for a positive positional impact.

It’s up to you as to whether you listen to your friend/Kevin Bacon. Is it time to panic?

Returnees

• Elijah Jeudy
• Riley Van Poppel
• Cam Lenhardt
• Keona Davis
• Sua Lefotu
• Mason Goldman
• Dylan Parrott
• Conor Connealy
• David Borchers

Newcomers

• Terry Bradden (coach)
• Williams Nwaneri
• Gabe Moore
• Jaylen George
• Malcolm Simpson
• Kade Pietrzak
• Tyson Terry
• David Hoffken

Departures

• Terrence Knighton (coach)
• Ty Robinson (NFL draft pick)
• Nash Hutmacher (NFL free agent)
• Jimari Butler (transferred to LSU)
• James Williams (transferred to Florida State)
• Kai Wallin (transferred to Oregon State)
• Vincent Jackson (transferred to UConn)
• Brodie Tagaloa (transferred to Sac St)
• AJ Rollins (entered transfer portal)

Expected Starters

• Cam Lenhardt
• Elijah Jeudy
• Riley Van Poppel

Projected Depth Chart

• Jaylen George
• Williams Nwaneri
• Gabe Moore
• Mason Goldman
• Malcolm Simpson
• Kade Pietrzak

Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule

• Aug. 28 (Thursday) vs. Cincinnati (Kansas City) 8 p.m. CDT on ESPN
• Sep. 6 vs. Akron 6:30 p.m. CDT on BTN
• Sep. 13 vs. Houston Christian 11 a.m. CDT on FS1
• Sep. 20 vs. Michigan 2:30 p.m. CDT on CBS
• Oct. 4 vs. Michigan State 11/2:30/3 CDT
• Oct. 11 at Maryland TBA
• Oct. 17 (Friday) at Minnesota 7 p.m. CDT on FOX
• Oct. 25 vs. Northwestern TBA
• Nov. 1 vs. USC TBA
• Nov. 8 at UCLA TBA
• Nov. 22 at Penn State TBA
• Nov. 28 (Black Friday) vs. Iowa 11 a.m. CST on CBS

Home games are bolded.

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